TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday confessed he is jealous of Government College, Sankhali principal, since the latter’s cabin is larger than his.
“I was jealous. Usually I don’t get jealous, but looking at her cabin, I was jealous. I told her that her cabin is double the size of my cabin,” Parrikar told the Legislative Assembly while responding to allegations by Opposition benches that infrastructure for educational institutes was not refurbished by the government during demands on grants on education.
Parrikar, who is the Education Minister said the State government has already sanctioned Rs 123 crore for developing/improving infrastructural facilities at educational institutes.
“Sankhali College is one of the best. We have taken up the work of upgradation of infrastructure in Margao, Pernem, Quepem and other government colleges,” he said, pointing to Sankhali MLA Dr Pramod Sawant.
He disclosed that the government has already spent Rs 38 crore while an additional Rs 40 crore will be used for the current financial year. He said that he had sent Education director and deputy director to various colleges to verify the state of infrastructure after the Opposition made allegations.
“The infrastructure situation at Goa Engineering College, Polytechnic, Engineering College at Bicholim, Pharmacy College… is good and well maintained,” he said, adding that one or two colleges were left out in an impromptu survey on Wednesday morning.
Parrikar also assured that ‘special painting’ of the structures will be carried out by the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation since the work by the PWD was poor.
On the issue of counselling scheme, he agreed to minor modifications and said that government has proposed for a hotline number for counselling. In the same breath, he opined that the best counsellor is the mother followed by a teacher, particularly female teacher. “Father is rarely a good counselor,” he claimed.
